The Blue Dragonfly Foundation Inc. has received a US$50,000 grant from the Global Environment Facility (GEF) Small Grants Program (SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), to create a unique social enterprise hydroponic farm in Antigua and Barbuda.
The farm based at Mount Tabor in John Hughes, will provide autistic people with practical work skills to support their transition into employment at The Blue Dragonfly Foundation’s social enterprises and in the wider Antigua and Barbuda community. Trainees will learn planting, harvesting, packing and customer service — real, transferable skills gained in a real business. An on-site Learning Center will also support trainees with visual learning, communication resources and sensory tools.
The farm will be adjacent to an artisan pizzeria, The Blue Dragonfly Foundation’s sister social enterprise restaurant and hospitality training center for autistic people, which is also in development. Produce harvested from the farm will supply the restaurant, creating a farm-to-table model, with surplus produce supplied to the wider community.
Caroline Hopton, Founder and CEO of The Blue Dragonfly Foundation, said: “We are absolutely thrilled and honored to receive this grant from the GEF Small Grants Program. It is a catalyst that allows us to get our programs for autistic people up and running. Opportunities to train and work are very scarce for autistic people in Antigua and Barbuda, and families too often watch capable young adults leave school with nowhere to go. Our hydroponic farm offers a supported route into paid work and, for parents and carergivers, the reassurance of a future for their children. This is a breakthrough.
The farm will also strengthen local food security and demonstrate climate-smart growing that uses a fraction of the water of conventional farming.”
Natalya Lawrence, National Coordinator, GEF Small Grants Program in Antigua and Barbuda, said: “The Blue Dragonfly Foundation’s farm social enterprise is a strong example of what the GEF Small Grants Program is designed to support: locally led solutions that bring environmental and social benefits together. By combining climate-smart food production with practical skills, inclusion and pathways to employment for autistic people, the project has the potential to strengthen both community resilience and livelihoods in Antigua and Barbuda.”
Since its establishment in Antigua and Barbuda, the GEF Small Grants Program has supported over 70 community-led projects across the country. It provides grant financing to civil society organizations working in areas such as biodiversity conservation, sustainable land management, climate resilience, waste management and environmental education. The program has directly benefited communities nationwide by strengthening local capacity, creating sustainable livelihood opportunities and supporting practical solutions to environmental challenges.
This article was originally published by Antigua News Room. Read the original article here: Blue Dragonfly Gets US$50,000 GEF Grant for Hydroponic Farm to Train Autistic People for Work.